JET NOTES
Mo Lewis was conspicuously absent from the bustling Jets’ locker room between double-session practices at yesterday’s start of the veteran minicamp. He, too, has declined numerous interview requests during the offseason, even after he signed his current one-year, $4.187-
million franchise-player tender offer contract recently.
There has been a perception that Lewis, who was unhappy about being tagged the franchise player in the first place, is not exactly enamored with the one-year deal with no big signing bonus.
Yesterday, Al Groh did his best to downplay any unhappiness Lewis may be experiencing.
“I don’t know why there’s a question about his attitude; it’s always been great,” Groh said. “Here’s the thing I remember most about Mo Lewis. Over at the Pro Bowl two years ago, the first year he’d ever been there and the first time we coached over there, we were talking to him about substution patterns and strategy and his response was to me was: ‘I don’t care what you do with me. I just want to win.’
“That’s Mo Lewis.”
Groh said he’s “spoken to Mo at great length” and spoken to his agent, Eugene Parker and, “There’s a very good understanding of the situation.”
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Aside from QB Chad Pennington, TE Anthony Becht and WR Laveranues Coles – rookies who were excused for yesterday to shoot bubble-gum cards – everyone participated in yesterday’s first practices of minicamp.
The one player who’s most limited physically at this point is LT Jason Fabini, who’s still rehabbing from major reconstructive knee surgery.
“He did a little bit of drill work and stayed afterward to do some individual drills,” Groh said. “We’re working toward having him ready to go on July 13 [for the opening of training camp].”